Musicians sign on to help trail

Handmade Brazilian longboard goes up on eBay

REPUBLIC  Members of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers have autographed a skateboard that will be sold on eBay to benefit the Ferry County Rail Trail Partners.

The handmade longboard-style deck was purchased in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by trail partners President Bob Whittaker, who is tour manager for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. That group opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Rio.

The board was signed backstage in Rio on Nov. 9 by all members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The group is a 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and winner of seven Grammy awards.

“This rare longboard was signed and numbered by the makers at El Phante and is an amazing piece of craftsmanship by itself,” Whittaker said. “The signatures by all the members of the Peppers make it a modern-day cultural artifact.”

He said the partners group is working to preserve the rail corridor for the long-term economic benefit of Ferry County and to create a non-motorized trail.

The Ferry County Rail Trail is a 25-mile, non-motorized segment of a 30-mile trail that follows a rail corridor originally developed by the Great Northern Railroad.

The trail is open to everyone for both transportation, such as getting to school and work, and going shopping, and recreation for walking, bicycling, horseback riding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and fishing.

Wildlife also use the trail.

“Working together to create safe bicycle and pedestrian connections between schools, neighborhoods and towns has become a common unifying goal and I think this board, an international and cross cultural effort, is symbolic of that fresh and healthy new school of thought,” Whittaker said.

Besides the board, the auction includes the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s day sheet, set list and Whittaker’s passes for the event.

The board went on sale Sunday on eBay. The auction ends this coming Sunday.